Emulsions are fluid systems comprising two immiscible liquid phases with one liquid dispersed as droplets in the other. The dispersed liquid is referred to as the dispersed phase and the liquid in which it is dispersed is referred to as the continuous phase. Microemulsions are emulsions in which the dispersed phase droplets are very small, typically about 0.01 .mu.m to about 0.2 .mu.m. The choice of liquids for the two phases and the surfactants used determine whether the microemulsion is oil-in-water (o/w), water-in-oil (w/o) or anhydrous. Microemulsions are generally more stable than emulsions with discontinuous phases comprising larger droplets because the interfacial tension between the oil and water phases is significantly lower. That is, in microemulsions there is a reduced tendency for the droplets of the dispersed phase to coalesce.
Emulsions are generally made by subjecting the component liquids, including an emulsifier, to high shear forces. The forces may be mechanical, such as vigorous stirring or forcing the mixture through a small orifice. Alternatively, ultrasonic emulsification may be used to effect cavitation in the liquids with high local shear. As microemulsions provide a means for maintaining, in stable aqueous solution, substances which are otherwise insoluble in an aqueous phase, they are of interest as potential drug delivery systems for lipophilic drugs. Surface modifications on the dispersed phase droplets have been found to be useful for altering the physicochemical and biochemical properties of the colloidal droplets, including the kinetics of blood clearance and tissue distribution. (K. Iwamoto et al. 1991. J. Pharmaceutical Sciences 80, 219.)
As used herein, the term "water" in reference to emulsions means a polar hydrophilic liquid and is not limited to water per se. Similarly, the term "oil" in reference to emulsions means any nonpolar hydrophobic liquid. The terms "microspherical emulsion", "microemulsion" and related terms refer to stable emulsions in which the droplets of the dispersed phase are very small. "Microparticle", "microsphere", "particle", "microspherical particle" and related terms refer to the droplets of the dispersed phase of the microemulsion, which may or may not be emulsified in an aqueous phase. "Functionalized" particles, microparticles, droplets or microspheres have at least one amphiphilic component in the surface layer which includes a reactive group suitable for covalently coupling the microparticle to a ligand.
A ligand specifically recognizes and binds to a receptor molecule. The ligand and its receptor are referred to as a specific binding pair. The specificity of binding of a ligand and receptor can be used in assays for detection of an analyte which is either a ligand or receptor. Ligand/receptor pairs include, as examples, antigens or haptens and antibodies, complementary nucleic acids, biotin and avidin/streptavidin, and carbohydrates and lectins.
Methods for production of the microspheres of the invention are similar to the ethanol injection methods previously known for the preparation of liposomes. However, such methods have not heretofore been adapted for the production of particles with hydrophobic liquid cores and amphiphilic monolayers on the surface. The ethanol injection method for production of single bilayer liposomes encapsulating an aqueous medium is described by S. Batzri and E. Korn (1973. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 298, 1015. ) and in Liposomes--A Practical Approach (IRL Press, R.R.C. New, ed., pg. 63). U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,591 describes methods for production of liposomes which incorporate an amphoteric, water-insoluble substance such as amphotericin B into the membrane with the phospholipids.
The stabilized microparticles of the invention are useful in a wide variety of applications where a hydrophobic particle core is desirable. Liposomes have previously been used for many of these applications, with various problems and disadvantages. In the present invention, the liquid hydrophobic core allows efficient incorporation of water-insoluble compounds for use in cosmetics (e.g., dyes and fragrances), foods (e.g., oils and flavors) and agriculture (e.g., insecticides and herbicides). Water-insoluble drugs may also be included in the core of the microparticles to improve drug delivery and stability in therapeutic applications. Such drug-containing microspheres are capable of incorporating more of the drug than the "pharmacosomes" of the prior art, which can only encapsulate the water-insoluble drug in the relatively small hydrophobic regions within the membrane bilayer rather than in the relatively large aqueous core. See Perrett, et al. 1991. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 43, 154; Hamann, et al. 1989. 5th Internat. Conf. Pharm. Tech. 1, 99; Hamann, et al. 1987. Acta Pharm. Technol. 33, 67 for discussions regarding incorporation of drugs into liposomes. Further, amphiphilic drugs such as amphotericin B or insecticidal/herbicidal fatty acids may be incorporated as amphiphiles in the surface monolayer of the inventive microspheres for therapeutic and agricultural applications.
As the surface charge of the present stabilized microspheres can be increased by adjusting the types and amounts of amphiphilic drugs or amphiphilic lipids in the surface monolayer, they can be made to move with an electric potential while carrying pharmaceutical agents. They may therefore also be useful for delivery of drugs by iontophoresis.